Why so many 4000's on ebay/craigslist?

I'm seeing a gang of MPC4000's going up for sale lately. It this because many are making the switch to the Ren?

Am I holding on just for nostalgia purposes, or will the Ren really replace the 4000? I don't want to turn this into yet another thread on the Ren, but I would like to hear some experiences from folks who have the 4000 and had traded it in for the Ren.

digiman wrote:I'm seeing a gang of MPC4000's going up for sale lately. It this because many are making the switch to the Ren?

The 4K is overkill for a lot of people, so maybe some of them are trading it in for the Ren. Maybe they're not. It's irrelevant really.

A lot of the original owners are probably heading for their 40s now, and making music as you get older becomes a lower priority unless that's how you earn a living.

Either way, no MPC will ever "replace the 4000".

people need to evolve - fast and easy working, nowdays technology and comfort, tons of possibilities etc.. they move forward after years using the same enviroment..

and i do the oposite - for me (32y) after 12 years making music on PC and DAW - i wanted to go the oposite way, shut the monitor, the mouse clicking, tons and tons of plugins, vsts, samplebanks.. i bough the 2xl and now i have the 4000 - just sit down and have again fun creating music and those limits of the old samplers give it to me, and for me the 4000 is THE thing..

people who sell the 4000 maybe do the same as me but in a oposite way.

and i really dont care about how the Ren is superb - it s my state of mind.

you know how analog synths ended in the mid 80´s like roland 303, 808, yamahas Cs.. for 20 bucks in pawnshops becasue everyone wanted shiny digital no faders ultrafuture synths.. it´s a sinusoide in history.

digiman wrote:I'm seeing a gang of MPC4000's going up for sale lately.

Same over here.

digiman wrote:this because many are making the switch to the Ren?

I doubt that very much.

Coz wrote:The 4K is overkill for a lot of people, so maybe some of them are trading it in for the Ren.

The 4K, you either love it or hate it.

digiman wrote:will the Ren really replace the 4000?

I doubt that very much, its just a software based incarnation with bells and whistles.

digiman wrote:I would like to hear some experiences from folks who have the 4000 and had traded it in for the Ren.

Don't hold your breath. Not many would actually trade-in unless the 4000 is too deep for them, maybe adding the Ren to the studio toolkit is more plausible. That is if you don't mind mousing around and have patience.

Coz wrote:A lot of the original owners are probably heading for their 40s now, and making music as you get older becomes a lower priority unless that's how you earn a living.

Er, cough cough...

Take advantage and get your MPC4000 back-up/parts machines while the going is good. There aren't as many out there as people may think, I wouldnt be surprised if it had the smallest production run and also was the lowest selling MPC's ever due to Akai Japan's circumstances at the time.

I wouldn't worry about it many people sell old gear whenever anything
comes out it happens with any new edition of the mpc since mpc 2500 dropped
as far as the 4000 is concerned. It is cool to buy new tools but it is better to
keep what you have too. Ren and 4k are different and you you may work faster
but you would lose the powerful Multis, sequencer parameters, program matrix, and layering capabilities if you understand and use what is under the hood of the 4k.

Anyways it is a sampler it can never get too old as you can put
whatever sounds you want in it

Let them sell it. I say good!
Lots of peeps buy MPCs and then sell them fast when they realise they have to put a bit of work in to using them. They are swamped by a billion options out there - their
always looking for the button that says "Press here for Hit Record'. They are always buying and selling gear on that premise.

Obviously some of those peeps are selling to buy a Ren, and in time they will sell that

Mark my words. The 4k within a few years will double in value. The real deal will always be sought after and they are simply going to keep increasing in value. In a couple of years the Ren will be sold for a packet of M+Ms. Nukai will come out with a new and improved Ren(which it wont be) and all those old seemingly useless Rens will be on the market. And in time the original Ren will no longer be compatible with OS systems. This can obviously never happen to any real MPC - they are future proof.

And in saying that I got a Ren today, but the 4k isnt going anywhere.

SP1200 wrote:
you know how analog synths ended in the mid 80´s like roland 303, 808, yamahas Cs.. for 20 bucks in pawnshops becasue everyone wanted shiny digital no faders ultrafuture synths.. it´s a sinusoide in history.

And thats it right there!
Some digital gear (samplers being right up there) are going to be highly sought after in the years to come. Not just samplers but simple little FM modules such as the TX81z which could be bought for £30 a year ago are now fetching prices of £150 +. Stuff like teh Aksi S612 is also increasing in value. Not all digital stuff will see this - they have to have some unique about them. Imagine in 50 years how valuable a fully working MPC4k will be. The kids then will be going mental for late 20th century gear.

I sound like a collector - Im not. I make music with my gear. Its not purchased as an investment which has happened in the analog synth market.

The 4000's on craigslist or ebay are not to be blamed for peoples lack of dedication, and creativity.

I am glad that I found the MPC4000 a little under a year ago. I am also glad that I was not an owner during the years when it was buggy. I am even happier that I got mine for a super low price.

Usually the good machines take a while to catch on. People are happy with what they have and when the new beast appears some buy but the word of mouth takes a while as does the financing.

I seriously believe that we have not seen the end of hardware. Moog is making new hardware and the younger set are keen for hardware. Things like this tend to be cyclical. Rack mount box samplers are not coming back but "all in one", portable, multiple output, midi enabled, sleek designed, large memory, fast processor, multi knobbed, usb or bluetooth, linked devices will always sell.

Put it this way if the Ren was also a stand alone sequencer don't you think Akai would have sold 10,000 of them by now? Some executive, engineer or designer is aware of this....it is coming. Not sure who, but it is coming.

cheers,
Ian

Some people are simply broke, they have to sell one thing to pay for another thing whether its rent, bills or other gear. Some of us are fortunate enough to have a few keyboards, synths and samplers. We can buy what we want and sell what we don't without sweating it. It's not that way for many folk, especially during tough economic times.

I keep waiting for the supply of MPC4000's to go down to list mine. But I do need to sell it soon.

Any particular reason for selling, or have you just had enough?

Clint wrote:Any particular reason for selling, or have you just had enough?

2 reasons. I've been unemployed for over a year and my bank accounts are running low. The other reason is I just don't use the MPC any longer. I'd rather sell it to someone that could use it.

I have been looking at the 4000 for a very long time...I am very happy to see more of them on sale and for a nearly halved priced as it was 5 years ago... I may scoop one very soon, when the right machine comes along. Let others enjoy the future (ren), while I still discovering the ancient (fully functioning S/A machines)... I have a lot to learn, but those are the tools if you want to master the trade!

I hope something better comes along sometimes in the near future, but for the moment I like to see all those 4000 going for cheap...

One will be mine soon.



Another book to read, let's put it like that.... knowledge is power! and the 4000 HAS to be mastered properly, not everybody's horse I guess... but I'd like a ride on that!

There are some machine you keep forever...

Times are hard all over the world and as unemployment percentage grows. People are selling there things to pay bills. Owning a mpc for some folks is a hobby or a dream. So when reality sets in that you are not the super producer, that you dream you were and the bills is behind. It's time to unload thing you think is a value to others.


I purchase a mpc4k new in 2002 for $3000 and in 2010 I was laid off and money was tight. I sold the my mpc4k, mv8000, fantom x6 and a pair of pioneer cdj1000s.

I kept the mpc5k, roland mc909 and other old gear.

It is true that a few may have hit hard times and sold off the whole studio, but

but plenty of people are buying new gear at the same time. So if someone was selling a 4k to paid some bills 2000 grand was cut off from the get go on that sell. It is better to keep her if you sunk 2 to 3 grand in her.

Over the course of the years I seen the same scenario played out when

the 2500 dropped

the 5000 dropped

Mv8800 dropped

maschine dropped


Electron SpS dropped

And a couple of users of the Ren I heard sold their 4ks

And a few even gone into all software.


Simple fact people change and some move on to something else.

But like Premo and a few others if it works why change and the 4k definitively works
like a champion. Never sell it if you want to continue making music or buy her back if you are a tight spot!